Strength
by Rivulet027
Summary: 312. It isn’t easy letting go of your best friend. Ted and Melanie friendship.


Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with QaF, it's not my toy box. Also don't own the part about Ted and Mel meeting for the first time, I borrowed that from Always Have, Always Will by Quinn Brockton.

Note: I remember the first time I saw the scene in 312 where Ted apologize to the girls for taking Gus' money and my first reaction to Melanie was 'you bitch'. Then I thought about it. Then I started noticing the friendship between Mel and Ted and had to wonder what was going through her head at that moment. I hope I've come close. Reviews and flames are welcome.

Strength:

I can't be the strong one here, Melanie thinks as she silently watches Ted go through the motions of apologizing to her, Lindsey and Gus.

What about Emmett?

She wonders if Emmett garnered an apology, after all it was his money that had ensured Gus wasn't out five thousand dollars. Why was it every time Emmett managed to get ahead something always dragged him down and why this time did it have to be Ted?

The Ted she knew wouldn't, couldn't.

She had to admit that she hadn't thought it too odd when their normal lunch dates had tapered into nothing. She'd missed her mid-day bitch fest with Ted, but it hadn't seemed odd. Ted liked to split the check and hated when she insisted on paying. He'd just lost everything and combine that with recovering from the back injury didn't make it odd she remembers telling herself. It'd been obvious he was becoming depressed.

That's why she'd made that wife comment at Emmett's and Lindsey's party, to let him see that he didn't always have to be the breadwinner. She wanted him to know there was nothing wrong with your partner being the successful one. She'd be the first to admit there are a lot of things Lindsey is better at then her.

It was also the reason she and Lindsey gave him the college money project. It was suppose to give him a little push back into the world. All her gut instinct had screamed against it at the time, but Melanie had put her fears aside because it was Ted.

And then the money had disappeared.

And now Ted's apologizing.

She feels helpless.

She's remembering a kiss on one cheek, then the other, then goodbye.

She's thinking back to the first time she met him. The look on his face as he was being teased for being gay and her own immediate reaction are forever engraved in her mind. They'd become friends quickly after, friends ever since.

She's remembering that friendship being an anchor when she lost Lindsey. She remembers it was him and Emmett who dragged her to dyke's night and that it was Ted's advice that propelled her to talk to Lindsey.

Without that where would she be?

Without his friendship through the year where would she be?

Where does she stand now that it's gone?

How can their friendship mean nothing if it means getting drugs?

How did this happen to Ted?

Why Ted?

Why?

This is the guy who would freak if one little thing in his apartment was out of place. How can he have fallen to pieces like this? Why hadn't they seen? Why hadn't they seen how far it'd gone? Where had Ted gone to? Where was the man Emmett had fallen in love with? Where was he now? Where the hell had Ted gone to?

This isn't him.

Every part of Melanie wants to jump up and scream. She wants to point at him and declare that this isn't Ted, couldn't be Ted. A dysfunctional clone, twin, maybe, but not their Teddy. No, their Teddy couldn't be a drug addict, can't be a drug addict. Desperate she pleads with herself for a few more minutes of denial, but then she's never been good at denial.

Nothing feels right. She feels out of place, lost. Her skin prickles in that sense of the world being wrong. Oh God…they've lost Ted. She's lost her best male friend.

How?

Why?

When?

Slowly Ted ends his speech and Lindsey is ready to forgive. Emmett it seems already has.It hurts. She doesn't want to be the strong one here, but she has to be. It's the only option left to her. So for herself, Lindsey, Gus, Emmett, all their friends, but mostly for Ted she tells him that he just gave them a very nice speech, but that they'll have to wait and see. And pray, she tells herself. She hasn't really prayed in a long time, but it looks like she's going to need to, because she will be strong and do what she has to. She'll protect the ones that she loves, even if that means letting one of them go. 


End file.
